DT Dalvin Tomlinson (8.23.23)
So Dalvin, Shelby (Harris) has now been here a little bit longer ramping up order. What’s it been like kind of getting to know him and playing alongside him in this defense?
“Shelby is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. But it’s been good. He’s been picking up the defense well, and he just blended in with all the guys as soon as he got here. Great guy, great player, and feel like we’re building some great chemistry already so far.”
What’s his sense of humor like?
“Everywhere. I feel like he got a lot of dad jokes, too. Yeah, so that was shocking for me. But he’s been in the league, I think this is like his 10th season, if I’m not mistaken? But he got some good jokes and stuff and he brings some good energy to the D line.”
How did you see the younger D tackles grow over the course of the last four weeks or so?
“Yeah, they’ve been working day in and day out and like, Siaki (Ika) his explosion off the ball now compared to when he first got here is crazy. And his technique with his hands and converting the pass, rushing play action pass, and like Jordan (Elliot) and other guys as well, is just super explosive. And just Tommy (Togiai), his quickness off the ball, I think he’s probably one of the quickest ones out of all of us. Those guys that keep coming out here every day to work and just continue to grow.”
This defense has kind of made flash plays even through the depth in preseason games, in practice, is that something that makes you think that, yeah, this is what the regular season is going to look like? Is that energy there?
“Oh, yeah, for sure. Just because we have the older guys cheering on younger guys. When everybody makes plays, everybody’s excited. There are no selfish guys on the team and everybody’s selfless. And just like you’ve been seeing in the preseason, the excitement, we have to carry that over to the season.”
Is it a glimpse of maybe what you guys think Jim Schwartz is going to be able to do in tenfold this year?
“That’s the game plan.”
How much does it help you? I mean, we’ve seen it in the preseason, I’m sure we’ll see in the regular season – those line changes, with drives. How much does that help you as one of the starters to kind of get that rest real quick?
“I feel like it’s great because we refresh. Everybody’s fresh, everybody’s coming to play on the same exact level as the starters and the second guys rotating in the young guys who just got here this year. And, yeah, it makes you that more excited because in the fourth quarter, you’re not going to be fatigued by playing like 60-something plays already and the team might be going fastball or something. We always find a way to rotate and everybody’s fresh.”
Andy Reid said that the Kansas City starters might play a little bit in this game. Even though it’s just a preseason game, is it still kind of exciting to think about going up against Patrick (Mahomes) for a little bit?
“Oh, yeah, for sure. I remember my first year in Minnesota, we played against him and the starters played, the same thing. And Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback, and we always love a challenge up front. So, we’re trying to get to him and affect him throughout the time he is in the game. And just to go against players, the starters and stuff is always exciting to get you ready for it almost like a real game day.”
To go back to those joint practices against the Eagles, obviously another Super Bowl-caliber team with a really mobile quarterback. What do you think you guys learned from those couple of practices?
“I feel like one of the biggest things is that coming back the next day and making adjustments and things like that, just if you had success the first day, you have to make sure you carry it over and being consistent is the key. And if you had a big play, you got to make sure you have to kind of drop it a little bit to get ready for the next play or have that energy carried over to the next play just so you could be prepared for in-game situations like a snap of a finger. Something goes different in a game, and you have to be able to react to it.”
What’s the biggest thing you feel like you guys need to see Saturday to come out of that feeling like, okay, we’re where we need to be getting ready for the regular season?
“I feel like what we’re targeting to see for just us up front is just consistency, getting off the ball, making plays and just not splash plays, making more of a wave of a tsunami and just keep going. Just keep getting better and just keep building with the energy on the D line and just passing that energy back to the DBs and everything.”
With guys on the front that can maybe move around a little bit. Like Za’Darius Smith. What does that kind of versatility provide to the defense and to you and your game?
“It’s crazy because me and Z played together last year and I got to rush off the edge to the offensive tackle, like big guys out there. So, it’s super fun and it just makes the game more exciting because we could show a lot of different looks that people probably aren’t expecting. And Za’ Darius is a guy who could play. He could play anywhere, he’s just that athletic. And yeah, I’d be messing with him. I’m going to move him down to a nose. I’m going to end the whole series or something like that just to make him mad. But yeah, it’s super crazy. And the game planning is going to be super exciting for the upcoming season with that.”
I know when we’ve talked to Shelby (Harris) in Philly, he mentioned coming into this D line with the guys you have, plus playing in a Jim Schwartz team. I think he said it was like a dream come true, I guess, to hear a guy say that, number one, when he’s coming into the unit that you’re on, what goes through your head? And do you think that’s a fair way to describe a Jim Schwartz D line?
“That’s a great way to describe it. Just because as a big guy, you come into a room and everybody’s accepting, everybody’s caring for the next guy, and then as a big guy, you get to make plays in this defense. You don’t have to just hold up blocks the whole time. You can go get some TFLs, get some QB hits and sacks and stuff like that. And it’s built for us to be more productive up front. So, I feel like that’s something you pray for your whole football career since you were a kid playing D line.”
Jason Kelce was talking in Philly about you guys, and he talked about just the intelligence that is required to play upfront in a Jim Schwartz defense. Can you kind of expound on that? Because it seemed like it would be like keep it simple system, but it sounds like there’s almost a complexity to it.
“Yeah, I guess it comes off as super simple, but just like Kelce had said, it could be very complex at times. We can switch up a lot of different things and Coach Schwartz does a good job of making the simple things complicated for the offense. And just the plays we can run and the schemes and the players we have, I feel like you don’t get players like this all the time up front. And just the different players we can just run and the stunts and stuff like that can be super complex for the offensive line because you can’t always pick it up.”
I know played with Za’Darius (Smith) obviously, before, but when you see him and Myles (Garrett) paired up out there, are there any moments when you’re out there, too, that you’re like, ‘Oh, wow,’ or whatever? It’s showing just a glimpse of what they could be together.
“Oh, yeah, for sure. Especially when Ogbo comes in, too. And I got those three guys, I’m just like, I might actually get a one-on-one, and I got to worry about the double team because you have to respect all three of them and all three of their pass rushes is crazy. I’m still trying to learn some stuff from them. And, yeah, when I’m out there with those guys, it’s just like, you know what? This is something special, and I can’t wait till week one.”
When you guys are in there watching the film of these practices, does Myles (Garrett) ever do anything that surprises you?
“Oh, yeah. Myles will pretty much take the young guys and stand up in the front of the room just to explain a simple detail form, just to improve their pass rush to a whole new level. He’s been energetic ever since I got here, giving good energy. And just the way he’s been leading the young guys like the D ends and stuff like that. He’s actually teaching them on new levels and even teaching me some stuff because he’s looking at things from a whole different point of view. And I feel like in our room we can all learn from each other. And that’s the biggest thing.”
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